Last December 29, 2016, my family and I together with my family's close friends went to Maasin City. The capital of the province of the Southern Leyte, Philippines. What we came for was the 1300 ft hike to Hanginan, a village on top of a mountain just a few kilometers from downtown Maasin City. We came there to visit a religious image of St. Francis Xavier inside a chapel of the same name that is said to have performed miracles and have heard prayers. It was actually because my brother is going to graduate this coming March of this year and we were hoping that the pilgrimage may help him hear his prayers through trekking the steep trail and praying at the place.
We were fortunate that it was a cloudy day. It wasn't hot and it didn't even rain at all. I have been climbing Hill several times but I was surprised at how steeper and farther the Hanginan trail was. Just a few meters up, I was already sweaty, and so were my family and friends. We would stop and take a breath every now then because we weren't used to this kind of thing. After almost two hours of slow paced hiking, we finally reached Hanginan. The tiresome hike was rewarded by this scenic and fulfilling view.
When we arrived, I was surprised at how many the houses were. I didn't think that many people lived there because of the remoteness of the place. I was wrong, they even have electricity, and televisions too.
What I saw mostly were stores that sell Bibingka, a type of rice cake. It was like every store have their own bibingka to sell. So I thought, maybe it's a local specialty. At the far end of the upper village is where the San Francisco de Javier chapel is situated. We entered the chapel and prayed.
After making a short prayer, we had to kneel in front of the altar. The minister /caretaker then got the small image of St. Francis Xavier and lightly stomped it over our shoulders and then on our heads. It was a ritual that is said to make a connection between us and St. Francis, for him to hear our prayers and let God answer them. The experience was both physically and spiritually exhilarating. It wasn't just a simple visit but a hard-earned pilgrimage for the Glory of God.
